# Launch and terminate

AD API does not have an API to launch or terminate Autoware. The application starts Autoware as a process, for example with `ros2 launch autoware_launch autoware.launch.xml`, and stops that process to terminate it.

The AD API nodes start together with Autoware. The `launch_api` argument of `autoware.launch.xml` is `true` by default. It includes `autoware_api.launch.xml` of `tier4_autoware_api_launch`, which starts the default AD API implementation (`default_adapi.launch.py` of `autoware_default_adapi_universe`).

## Related API

- [/api/interface/version](<../../list/api/interface/version/index.md>)

## Sequence

The application starts Autoware, checks the interface version, and stops Autoware before the shutdown.

1. **Start Autoware.** The application starts Autoware, for example as a system service or with `ros2 launch`. The AD API nodes start with it.
2. **Check the interface version.** Call [/api/interface/version](<../../list/api/interface/version/index.md>) until it responds. The response shows that AD API is ready. The version follows [Semantic Versioning](<https://semver.org/>), so a different major version means that the application is not compatible.
3. **Use the vehicle.** Continue with the other use cases, for example [initialize the pose](<../initialize-pose/index.md>).
4. **Terminate Autoware.** Stop the process that runs Autoware, then shut down the computer.